I thought I'd share 4 new favorite Christmas movies to give you a little inspiration if you need something to watch as the holiday approaches. Forrest and I have been watching these on repeat, so they are kid- and mom-approved!

1. Christmas Family Vacation

"You let a toddler watch this movie?" That's what you're probably asking yourself. Short answer, yes... the TV edited version that they play on Freeform at least. One day, Forrest was particularly sickly and bored, so I put on Freeform to this because I needed a little sanity. He really enjoyed it. And to be fair, I've been watching this movie since I was 6 or 7 and I'm totally fine. Mostly.

It is absolutely a Christmas classic though, that kind of movie that is about how Christmas can go so, so wrong, but still be really fun.

2. Elmo Saves Christmas

Do you have a toddler? Do you need to entertain them for, say, 90 minutes?

Elmo Saves Christmas runs for 90 minutes--it's a full-length film! And it's not cobbled together Sesame Street segments, but an actual movie. It's also... really kind of good. I will absolutely sit and watch this with Forrest. It's that good. It's narrated by Maya Angelou as well, which is about as Sesame Street as it gets.

3. Elf

Confession: it really pained me to put this on my list because, honestly, I find Will Ferrell to be so annoying. I used to not be able to stand Elf, it was one of the few movies that I would absolutely turn off and be mad about having seen even a few minutes of for a while. But it's really grown on in me in the last few weeks. Maybe because Forrest loves it (as I sigh thinking about what it teaches him about being a grown man) but maybe because, like the Grinch, my cold heart is melting a little bit.

4. The Year Without Santa Claus

These claymation classics used to be on all the time when I was little, so I think of them as The Christmas Movies... but I feel like they're on so much less these days! The Year Without Santa Claus is basically the story of Santa taking a year off (because he has a cold) and the shenanigans that follow. It's cheery, Christmas-y, and totally a classic.

I'm Michelle, a writer & blogger living in Eugene, Oregon with my teacher husband Danny & our son Forrest. I am passionate about remaining creative, no matter where you are in life: a new graduate, a young professional, or a new mom! I love writing, Instagram, podcasts, & drinking coffee.